


The Person I Want it to Be

by Psychiccupid



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Can you tell I'm a multishipping disaster?, College Prom, College Prom AU, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other, SaiouWeek2020, Spreading the good word of Yuta/Chihiro tho, dance, danganronpa - Freeform, prom au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:02:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26299840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psychiccupid/pseuds/Psychiccupid
Summary: After a dramatic promposal revealing the Student Council's plans for a Danganronpa University Prom Night, the school is turned upside down in romance and Shuichi Saihara is no exception.He's decided that all he wants is for someone to ask him to be their date. Will he get his wish?Please enjoy this 2 chapter Saiouma fluff piece featuring many of my favorite Danganronpa Ships.((SaiouWeek2020: Day 4: Dance))
Relationships: (The rest of these ships are implied:), Akamatsu Kaede & Saihara Shuichi, Akamatsu Kaede/Amami Rantaro/Iruma Miu, All within like 11 paragraphs, Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura, Chihiro Fujisaki/Yuta Asahina, Fukawa Touko/Naegi Komaru, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito/Nanami Chiaki, Ikusaba Mukuro/Pekoyama Peko, Iruma Miu/K1-B0, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Kirigiri Kyoko/Celestia Ludenberg, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya, Koizumi Mahiru/Saionji Hiyoko, Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya, Nidai Nekomaru/Owari Akane, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi, Sonia Nevermind/Tanaka Gundham, Teruteru Hanamura/Ultimate Imposter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 186
Collections: Welcome to Saiou week!





	1. Ask Me, Ask Me!

The madness began when the Student Council President, a smaller man with messy brunette hair who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, asked both his Vice President, a calm and collected purple haired woman, and his Treasurer, a tall man with blond hair and glasses, to go to prom with him - and they both accepted. It was a dramatic, public display and the campus wasn’t that large.

This was how the students of Danganronpa University were introduced to the College Prom that the Student Council was holding. It’s rare for colleges to hold such high school-like dances, and everyone was enthralled at the idea. The buzz about who was asking who kept everyone talking for weeks.

Shuichi was no exception. He had many options of people he _could_ ask but thought the idea of someone asking him to dance was _incredibly_ romantic. And it didn’t take long for him to become obsessed over the idea of it happening to him. So much so, that he was talking about it for the third day in a row to his best friend, Kaito.

He didn’t mind at all, though, “It’ll happen when it happens, bro! There’s no way you’re not going to have a date to the prom!” 

“That’s kind of you to say, but I can’t guarantee that someone is going to ask me. I’m not upset to ask someone! Don’t get me wrong! I just think… being asked…” Shuichi stammered.

Kaito put his arm around him and pulled him close, “I know, I know. But asking someone is just as good! You should’ve seen the look on Makiroll’s face when I showed up in her class boldly announcing that I wanted her to go to prom with me!” 

“I’m sure she was mortified.” Shuichi laughed, “But I’m also sure she was very happy that you asked her.” He paused before saying, “What… What did she look like?”

Kaito couldn’t help smiling wide thinking about it, “She looked both like she wanted to kill me and that she was the luckiest person in the world. She shoved me out of the classroom and said yes with a face redder than her favorite shirt! I can’t describe with words how great that feeling is!”

Shuichi was about to agree with him until he heard another voice interrupt them, “It was embarrassing. I’ve never wanted to hurt someone more in my life but… I wouldn’t say I hated it…” Maki played with her hair as she continued, “I don’t know how Kaito feels, and I can’t say which one you would like more Shuichi, but I think… you’re right in wanting to be asked.” 

Then the bell rang. The three said their goodbyes. Shuichi watched as Kaito took Maki’s hand in his own as they walked away and he felt his hand ache with a desire to be held. To satiate himself he walked to class holding his hands together behind his back. 

-x-

When he got to class, he noticed two things. The first was that his dear friend Kaede had an aura more radiant than he had ever felt before. The second was that another good friend, Kokichi, had an opposite aura, one of pure malice. Shuichi cared deeply about both people, but the negative aura caught his attention more, and went over to the purple-haired man to ask some questions. 

“Oh- Shuichi!” Kokichi’s solemn face was immediately replaced with a big smile once he looked up to see his visitor, “To what do I owe the pleasure?” Shuichi could tell it was a little forced and assumed that the smaller man in front of him wouldn’t be willing to talk for long.

“You just seemed kind of down… are you ok?” His voice was filled with genuine concern which made Kokichi’s aura only grow darker.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about! I’ve never felt so good in my life! Especially since my beloved came to talk to me today.” Kokichi didn’t have the energy to make a good lie, and he was silently begging for Shuichi to go sit down despite wanting to see him. 

“Alright. I understand. You can come tell me when you’re ready.” Shuichi said and flashed a caring smile before waving off to go check up on Kaede.

He could feel the aura behind him shrink a little and knew that Kokichi appreciated the space. He didn’t think it had anything to do with him, so he would just let the supreme leader approach when he was ready. 

Turning his attention to Kaede, he was blinded by her radiant smile, “Did something good happen?” He asked. 

“I’ve decided who I’m asking to prom!” She said, nearly bouncing, and Shuichi’s paused. _Is it me!?_ He immediately thought, but smushed the idea. He had nothing to base that on. Plus, it wasn’t Kaede’s style to ask someone after announcing it like this- she would probably do something much more romantic, knowing her. 

Shuichi saw Kokichi bite his thumb and listen in on the conversation but chose to put it in the back of his mind. He wanted to give Kaede his full attention.

“That’s wonderful!” He chirped, “Who are you going to ask?”

Her eyes sparkled, “Rantaro! We’ve been hanging out a lot lately and I think it would be great to go with him. He is probably a really good dancer.” _That’s a great choice for you_ , Shuichi agreed mentally. 

He quickly glanced over at Kokichi to check on his status before responding, noticing that he was significantly calmer. He was clearly still listening, but his thumb had been released and the negative aura was nearly dissipated. _Were you anxious about who Kaede was asking? That’s not really a normal reaction from you…_

Kaede continued, noticing the pause but determining it had been enough time to get his attention beck, “But also Miu!” And that immediately snapped Shuichi out of his day deductions. 

“Oh! You’re going to ask two people?” There was no sense of malice in his words, just surprise. Less because of his newfound discovery of Kaede’s polyamorous style, and more because _Miu_ of all people.

“Yes.” She responded proudly, “Miu might be a lot to handle, but we understand each other. She’s wonderful to talk to when she’s not trying to impress everyone. I-I really like her!” Kaede started blushing, while she was able to handle her feelings about Rantaro very well, the second she mentioned Miu her normal composed self started melting. It was very cute to see. Though watching Kokichi _completely lose it_ laughing to himself at his desk was incredibly distracting. 

Shuichi had to force himself to look away, and wanted to give his support, “I think that’s really wonderful, Kaede. You seem really happy! I take it you were worried about who to choose, huh?”

“Was it that obvious!?” She blushed harder, “I was really struggling this week because I wanted to ask them both and couldn’t choose!”

“Then you remembered Class President-“

“Then I remembered Class President Naegi asking both Vice President Kirigiri and Treasurer Togami, yes! And I just couldn’t wait to tell you! I’m gonna do it in my final class today! All three of us have it together. I think what I want to do is to grab both of their hands as they’re leaving, twirl them around, and ask them both to the dance!” 

Completely unprompted, Shuichi stood up and went to hug her, wishing her luck, “I think they’ll both like that a lot!” He said as he pulled away. 

Once he sat back down, she took a deep breath before asking, “Are you… sad I didn’t ask you, Shuichi?”

He wasn’t prepared for the question, nor was Kokichi, he noticed, but it didn’t take long to form his answer, “I thought I would be, but I’m ok! I am sad because I want someone to ask me.” He took a breath. He was about to talk a lot and couldn’t stop himself, “I’m so, so happy for you! But I am definitely jealous. For the past week I’ve done nothing but talk Kaito’s ear off, gushing about how I want to be asked to the dance. It’s not my style, but for some reason I can’t help it. I want someone to ask me in a big, magical way. Maybe it’s just the President’s influence… it doesn’t need to be public or anything just… it needs to mean something. School dances don’t come around every day.” Only a few people’s presence got him to be the talkative type, and Kaede (and Kokichi, for the record) was one of those people. He turned a little pink after he was done and decided to clean up his statement, “Sorry. What I mean is- I am not sad you didn’t ask me. However, I am sad that I haven’t been asked yet.” Then he smiled. Sad wasn’t really the right word, and the two people listening knew that. 

Kaede just giggled and finally took her seat next to him now that she had calmed down enough to sit still, “Trust me, Shuichi. _Someone_ will ask you.” Her words seemed pointed, but, for as smart as he was, he couldn’t figure out at who, even after he noticed Kokichi get a chill up his spine, “And I promise, knowing who’s gonna do it, it’s gonna be incredible!” It was too easy for her to notice Shuichi’s eyes shift over to Kokichi during their whole conversation, and she had made the connection easily that Kokichi was intently listening. _So THAT’s why he was in such a sour mood earlier. He thought I was going to ask Shuichi to prom! Gosh, he should just be more honest, sometimes._ Kaede pouted to herself but decided not to meddle, “Thank you for listening to me, Shuichi. I’ll give you updates tomorrow! And you better do the same for me!”

He laughed, “I don’t know what you’re talking about and I won’t have any, but I’m very excited for yours!” He kept his blush during her encouraging speech earlier but was thankful that he could finally focus on his school work.

That was the plan, anyway, but throughout all of class he found himself sneaking glances over to Kokichi’s purple hair. Was he always this distracted when Kokichi was around? He assumed not- the dance fever was just making him more romantic. 

By the time class was over and he said his goodbyes to Kaede, Shuichi practically ran to Kokichi’s desk, “You seem to be doing a lot better!” He said almost out of breath for such a short distance. He coughed a couple times to regain his composure. Thinking about the man all class had flustered him beyond all repair.

“You’d make an excellent addition to my organization if you care this much about its leader, Shumai~” Kokichi used his nickname for Shuichi often, so why was this time so much more sensitive to the detective’s ears, “C’mon. What’s your secret objective? Do you want me to sneak you in to see Kaede’s confession?” His eyes twinkled in delight. 

“You seemed really upset earlier, plus you told me everything was fine, and I know you were lying.” Shuichi sat at the desk next to Kokichis since no one was in the room. 

“Ah, you’ve got me all figured out detective! So if I told you I was still deeply upset-“

“I know you’d be lying. I saw the tension leave your body right as Kaede confessed she wanted to ask Rantaro to the dance.” Shuichi interrupted. 

Kokichi leaned back against his chair and folded his arms behind his head, grinning, “Ah, correct again! Man, I can’t get aaanything past you today.” 

Shuichi put his finger knuckle to his lips and said, “But I cannot figure out why Kaede’s confession would make you feel _better_.” 

“In due time, my darling detective.” Kokichi sang, “But for now, I’m going to be late.” And he hopped out of his seat and ran out the door. Shuichi, knowing the man’s schedule, noted that Kokichi’s classroom was relatively close by – and they still had 20 minutes before their next class. 

“Another lie,” He sighed before packing up his own stuff to leave. _Would Kokichi ever ask me to the dance? Probably not._ He decided, and headed home.

-x-

A week later, Shuichi had not been feeling any more confident about anyone asking him to the dance. 

There were many good stories. 

Kaede’s plan had no problems. Miu blushed when she was asked and Rantaro seemed happy, based on her report. Then, Miu confessed that she had already agreed to go with Keebo but she wanted to spend time with Kaede as well. Eventually all four of them decided to spend pre-prom hanging out and getting ready together. Kaede couldn’t contain her excitement the entire time. 

Two upperclassmen, the senior valedictorian and his boyfriend with the same talents as President Naegi, had both set up completely over the top romantic proposals and happened to ask each other at the exact same time, resulting in them both saying yes. It’s said that the valedictorian’s girlfriend (who spent the whole proposal playing Tetris 99 on her Switch) knew both were going to do it, but she chose not to warn either of them.

Heck, even the school’s pool’s student lifeguard and the gym’s student assistant had a romantic story of one of them bursting into tears the moment the dance was announced and the other saying yes. 

Even more, a delinquent asked the discipline committee chair. A top gymnast had asked her trainer. A man who could eat anything was asked by the man who would make it all for him. All of them said yes. The rumors were completely unavoidable. 

Shuichi was not sick of the romantic energy surrounding the school, but every day he went without a date to the prom he started to get more and more worried it wouldn’t’ happen, despite Kaede saying so. The prom was only two weeks away at this point, so he felt his anxiety was justified.

When he would bring it up to Kaede throughout the week she would just say, “Didn’t you want something spectacular?”

“Not necessarily spectacular! I just want it… to mean something.” And she would chuckle every single time. 

“Patience my dear Shuichi. I _promise_ it’ll be worth it.” Was the gist of her responses. And it was driving him crazy. He deduced that she knew someone interested but when he confronted her, she never gave any hints. 

But here they were, a week after her own confession, two weeks left until prom, and she suddenly exclaimed, “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry Shuichi! I completely forgot my textbook for my next class. Since you’re done for the day could you run to my dorm and get it for me!? Kirumi will be able to open the door, I’ve already texted her!”

He agreed with no reservations. He had nothing planned this evening, and the dorms weren’t too far. It was a very relaxing walk, since Kaede had given him enough warning that he didn’t have to run. 

When he walked to her room, the door automatically opened, revealing Kirumi holding a book. She had a gentle smile and said, “There’s a note on the inside cover. Their class is being held in a different location than normal and she only found out after you left.” She then closed the door after sending him off.

He flipped the front cover and it said, _“We’re meeting in the old science building because it has some equipment that we don’t have at the new one! See you soon!”_ He started to head in that direction but not without thinking _why didn’t she just text me that?_

When he made it to the building, he saw that there was still 30 minutes before her class was supposed to start, so he made no rush in getting to the room. However, once he found his destination, he opened the classroom door and was shocked to find no one there. Sitting on a table that happened to be under the one always-on-security-light was a piece of paper, and he wasted no time picking it up.

On the side facing up it said 

_Follow me if you want to know the answer._

It was unmistakably Kaede’s handwriting. He flipped it over. 

_Library. 823.8.  
If you don’t get to me by the time class starts,  
I’ll never tell you._

His heart started racing. Was Kaede going to tell him who wanted to ask him to prom? Was she going to tell him something else? He couldn’t contain his excitement. Not only did the ending prize of an answer entice him but solving a scavenger hunt sounded incredibly fun. He immediately reached into his back pocket and brought out his hat. He used to wear it to hide is face but it had become a tool to wear when he wanted to focus on solving cases. It was the perfect time to wear it.

He grabbed the paper and ran out of the room towards the library.

He made it there, nearly out of breath, in mere minutes. He knew the second he saw those numbers that they were referring to the location of a book using the Dewey Decimal System. Finding the book itself was easier than making it to the library due to its simple organization. 

_The Adventures of Sherlock Homes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 823.8._

He picked up his favorite book off the shelf and smiled as he watched the next sheet of paper fall from underneath it. He gently picked up the paper off the ground and returned the book to its place, having a copy of his own back in his dorm. 

_I knew that’d be too easy for you,  
My Sherlock ♥ _

This wasn’t Kaede’s handwriting anymore. His heartbeat was going even faster, now. Was this the person that was going to ask him!? Or was Kaede just changing up her handwriting to make him think this? Barely controlling the shaking of his hand, he flipped the note over. 

_Cafeteria.  
Drink Vending Machine.  
How much time do you have left?  
Don’t you wanna know who I am?_

“Of course I do!” Shuichi said under his breath. He felt like yelling but because he was in a library he made sure to keep composed. His excitement was incredibly clear, and he couldn’t wait to solve this next one. 

As fast as he could without destroying any bookshelves, he existed and bolted to the cafeteria. He paused right before opening the double doors to take a quick breath and at least look like he was calm. Once inside he noted three different drink vending machines. One that featured Coke products, one that featured Pepsi products, and a third one that had more unique options. Knowing the card didn’t give any hints this time, he opted for the third one and made his way over.

There were so many different options that for a moment he was overwhelmed. There were teas, coffees, cocoas, juices, and both flavored and flavorless waters. He looked at the clock and notated that he only had 20 minutes left, so he closed his eyes and chose to think.

 _What do I know about the situation? I have no idea who’s writing these. I know Kaede is helping them. So…_ He smiled… _The only person in this situation I know anything about is myself!_ And chose his favorite coffee from the machine. It dispensed and when he picked it up, he saw the 3rd note taped to the label. He ripped it off to read it without missing a beat.

_Was that a little more difficult?  
I knew you could do it!  
It’s ok to think about yourself, sometimes_

He laughed and could feel his ears getting warmer. He took a deep breath before flipping it over.

_AV Gaming Club.  
An Honest Thief.  
A Lying Detective.  
Stop Reading. Just go._

Shuichi did as he was told and bolted after tucking the coffee in the pocket his hat had previously been in. 

He was getting used to this and wasn’t so out of breath by the time he had reached the gaming club’s room in an engineering building. As he opened the doors, he noticed a girl sitting in a bean bag chair playing a video game he didn’t recognize. 

She didn’t look up from what she was doing, “Your only hint is that it’s in the PS4 section. And that’s probably more than I was supposed to say.” And he nodded thanks but knew he didn’t need the hint at all. 

Shuichi hadn’t played a huge amount of video games, but he did very much like any that were puzzle games. However, this one that was being referred to on the card was an exception. Most of his class played the first couple chapters of this game together, but very specifically he, Kaede, Maki, Kaito, Keebo, Himiko, Rantaro, Tsumugi and Kokichi had hung around multiple nights to beat the whole game while others came and went as they pleased.

His hand reached out and grabbed the Persona 5 game case off the shelf and opened it up. He held the piece of paper just like the main character of the game would and chuckled to himself as he stopped posing to read it.

_That one wasn’t hard either, was it?  
But it’s kind of ironic, huh?_

It didn’t say anything else. What did this mystery person mean by ironic? What was ironic about the lying detective? He couldn’t think of any times where he hadn’t told the truth in recent memory. So, did he have the connection wrong?

Only 10 minutes left. He had to flip the paper now and think about that later.

_Well? Go give the book to her! Duh!_

His feet, for the first time in his life, were working faster than his brain. They were already heading to where Kaede’s classroom -the _original_ classroom- was. _Of course. The first note was a lie! The class never moved!_ He figured out. Once his whole body was on the same page, he ran faster than he had ever run in his life.

With 3 minutes to spare, he arrived at the classroom with a very happy Kaede standing outside of it. She waved enthusiastically and took her book from his hands.

“So,” He said between deep breaths, “I want to know the answer.”

“You already have all the clues. You followed the notes. But I do have one more instruction for you.” Then she brought him down below her chin and gave him a light kiss on the forehead.

“Just go to where it all began. All of it. And wait there with your eyes closed. No time limit.” Then she let him back up, dusted his shoulders, and went back into her classroom shutting the door behind her. 

He took a moment to catch his breath, opened and sipped some of the coffee and got to thinking. He wandered aimlessly for about 10 minutes thinking about all the events that had just happened and went over them one by one in his head. Save maybe their classroom or Kaede’s dorm room – none of the other spots felt like _firsts_. Eventually he ruled out the former two locations as well. The place he was supposed to go was _specific. ‘Where it all began’_. He thought and thought. Many ideas popped into his brain as he thought of every single person that could potentially send him on a chase like this, but no areas stood out to him. 

Out of frustration, he finally shouted in a voice loud enough that he would feel comfortable getting it off his chest but not loud enough that it would attract attention, “None of this would be happening if that _stupid prom_ wasn’t-“

The prom. 

...

The prom?!

...

_THE PROM!!_

Both his head and his feet, completely in sync, started running to the courtyard. 

To the place where it all began. 

To the place where Makoto Naegi announced there was going to be a college prom by asking both Kyoko Kirigiri and Byakuya Togami to join him at the same time. 

He didn’t stop running until he approached the bench in the middle of the courtyard that was underneath a large tree. He took his hat off and sat down, leaving just enough room for one person to join him, and closed his eyes gently.

He waited patiently for a long, long time, but never once did he mind. 

Finally, _finally,_ he heard feet approach him and he could barely breathe. This two-hour long tension of not knowing what was happening was one of the most entertaining things he had been a part of, but he was almost at his limit. 

“Are you ready?” The footsteps said.

“Kaede!?” Shuichi croaked, “But-“

“Shhh. No, it’s still not me. I’m just here to talk so you don’t recognize the voice. We apologize for making you wait so long. We wanted to give you until the end of my class to figure it out with little direction. You can open your eyes if you want. The person who wrote those notes isn’t here yet.” As his eyes slowly opened, he struggled to adjust to the light of the setting sun after having them be closed for so long. He blinked rapidly but was able to finally look at Kaede. 

She smiled at him in a motherly way, her aura filled with nothing but love, “How are you feeling?”

“Excited! Mostly. Nervous, a little.” He said as she chuckled and nodded in agreement.

“Did you have fun?” She asked.

Shuichi didn’t hesitate, “Lots! The puzzles were pretty easy, but the fact that someone would go through all that trouble just for me…” He trailed off for a moment before shaking his head and coming back, “They put so much thought into this, and noticed so many things that I like. It was absolutely, undeniably fun!” 

Kaede’s emotion didn’t seem to change as she asked one final question, “And do you know who’s handwriting was second? Do you know who planned all of this?” 

Shuichi thought hard. No. He didn’t know. But Kaede had told him he had all the clues, so he decided to go deep into his mind and think.

_The three clues were Sherlock Holmes, Coffee and Persona 5. What do these all have in common?_

Seeing the three images in his mind he deduced… _They’re all about me being a detective. Well, maybe coffee’s a stretch, but the other two work for the analogy. I’ll keep running with it._

His favorite book, his favorite coffee, (one of) his favorite games. So, clearly the person knew what he liked, but the detective collection was too much to ignore.

_Who would care so much about me being a detective?_

And that was the right question. Suddenly everything slowly came to light.

The puzzle. The reason Kaede was involved. The places. The clues. 

_There is only one person that knows, for sure, that Kaede and I have that class together and that I don’t have anything after it._

_There is only one person that would care about my love of Sherlock and would CALL me ‘My Sherlock’_

_There is only one person that would call out an_ honest _thief vs a_ lying _detective._

 _There is only one person that I_ want _it to be._

“Yes. I know.” Shuichi said with a smile. He thought that maybe Kaede would get blown back by how powerful his heartbeat felt right now as it rang through his ears. 

Kaede raised her voice slightly, catching him off guard, “Are you disappointed?”

 _“No.”_ He said, standing up rather quickly and having to catch himself after getting lightheaded, “No! I’m not disappointed at all! I’m… really happy!” And he meant it with every fiber of his being.

All too fast, she pushed Shuichi back down on the bench and said in a quiet voice, “Good night, Shuichi. Close your eyes for me, one last time. You’ll know when to open them back up.” He felt his eyes shut tight and he heard one set of footsteps leave, and another, strangely softer, set walk up. They were so soft, in fact, that there was a distinct possibility this person had been listening the whole time. After thinking that, he felt like he was on fire, both from the blush on his face and from how badly he must’ve been shaking.

“Shuichi Saihara,” the voice began as Shuichi immediately opened his eyes to see the person talking, “my beloved Shumai. Will you do me the honor…”

A bouquet of origami flowers appeared magically in the person’s hand as it extended towards Shuichi.

“of going to prom with me?”

After not even waiting a beat, Shuichi stood up and ran into the person, holding them tightly in his arms. Maybe he was over-reacting. Maybe this was too much contact too fast. Or, maybe this was perfect.

“Yes, Kokichi. Yes. Yes! One thousand times, yes!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much for making it here. 
> 
> I hope from the bottom of my heart that you enjoyed this story and look forward to more!  
> I hope that you got itty bitty butterflies in your stomach while reading this!  
> If it didn't then I hope that the first two paragraphs blew your mind because I like them SO much ahaha!
> 
> Please check out @SaiouWeek on Tumblr/Instagram for more great Saiouma pieces by many talented people! ♥
> 
> I repeat: More actual Saiouma in Chapter 2! It'll be the actual prom night!


	2. Tell Me! Tell Me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being asked via scavenger hunt to the College Prom, Shuichi and Kokichi are going as a date.  
> Today is the day and emotions are high. 
> 
> Please enjoy the finale of 'The Person I Want it to Be' a fluffy Saiouma story featuring _even more_ of my Danganronpa ships than the first chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2: "Tell Me! Tell Me!' or 'Ezra Uses This Fanfiction as an Excuse to Describe Prom Outfits and the Entirety of Their Danganronpa Ship List, Including Spreading the Good Word of Chihiro Fujisaki/Yuta Asahina, to Everybody" 
> 
> A minor note that I couldn't fit into the story comfortably is this,  
> Senior Class: SDR2  
> Junior Class: DR1  
> Sophomore Class: DRV3  
> Freshman Class: Komaru and Yuta
> 
> Thank you so, so, SO much for your kind words and kudos to the first chapter.  
> I hope you have just as much fun reading the second chapter!

The two weeks leading up to the big day were eventful. Kokichi had announced to _everyone_ that he had a date and, of course, no one believed him. It took Shuichi telling everyone a second time for them to understand, but that just changed the lie to ‘I kidnapped Kaede for ransom until he agreed to go with me!’ To which Kaede happily played along, saying she was worth more than how much Shuichi paid. 

At some point over the thirteen days, Kokichi had been _very_ adamant about their pre-prom plans, the ‘P.P.P.’ as he and Miu liked to say. He insisted that he wanted the first time they saw each other to be outside of the venue. No dinners, no phone calls, no going through Rantaro or Kaede – radio silence until _'The Moment™'_ as he kept calling it. 

Shuichi kept trying to gage if this was a lie of sorts, and he had to admit he was nervous for what his date might do to surprise him, but it seemed to be genuine every time he heard it. Despite knowing this, he woke up the morning of the prom very tense and immediately found himself dialing Kokichi’s number. He wanted to hit the call button more than anything in the world but knew that if he did there would be consequences for ruining their plans.

Clicking his phone off and taking a deep breath, he looked at the clock and saw that it was 11 a.m., meaning he had about five hours until he needed to start getting ready. He figured that giving himself three hours was plenty of time to get dressed and walk to the ballroom. 

Yes, an actual, certified ballroom. Absolutely, Danganronpa University had one. It was a small campus, but it was suited to all of its student’s needs, including Princess Nevermind’s. 

Everyone was glad the student council elected to have the dance there instead of the gymnasium, Shuichi very much included. He was still lying in bed as he thought about the layout of the venue. 

He felt his mind drift off from there and suddenly he was imagining Kokichi in a tuxedo reaching out a hand and asking for a slow dance. Every fiber of imaginary Shuichi wanted to grab that hand and accept the proposal, but physical Shuichi was blushing so badly that his ears started to hurt, and he immediately jumped out of bed and ran towards the shower to cool off. 

-x-

When Kokichi woke up and didn’t see any messages from Shuichi, he was immediately upset. Pouting, he picked up the phone and was about to demand some attention when he noticed the date. He sighed loudly and threw his phone down on the bed semi-aggressively. What a _stupid_ rule he made up. Rantaro wouldn’t stop gushing throughout the week about how excited he was to do all three of his dates’ nails and makeup and Kokichi was steaming in jealousy. 

“It’ll be worth it when you see him.” He said aloud, dejectedly looking at his ceiling. He couldn’t quite tell if he was lying or not and chalked it up to a half-truth. He started to sit up, saw that it was about 11:30 a.m. from a clock across the room, giving him about three-ish hours to mess around, and let himself flop back down, exhaling then smiling.

Over the past two weeks, he had gotten to be closer to Shuichi. Before his promposal, Kokichi had friends (the shy bluenette included), but never like this. Now that he was around ‘Detective & Co.’, he had way more people to hang out with! Lunch had become such a joy ever since the prom was announced. Their table even had unspoken assigned seating now. Rantaro, Kaede, Miiu and Keebo on one side and Kokichi, Shuichi, Kaito and Maki mirroring them on the other. With that group, Kokichi had struck a _gold mine_ of people to tease. It was his pride and joy whenever he got the whole table in on a rumor he completely made up. 

After a few minutes of fantastical day dreaming, he felt his face start to flush. His mind, associating from lunch to Shuichi then to the promposal, started to remember the event. 

Asking him had been easy. Shuichi couldn’t have been clearer in his desires and molding that into a plan took mere minutes of brain power. Getting Kaede involved was simple, “He wants someone to ask him and I figured no one else would. You could help me, y’know? You want him to be happy, right? It’s only fair since you broke his heart!” Child’s play. It was, however, one of the only times he couldn’t gage her. It seemed like she knew he was lying but made no effort to correct him and gave him total cooperation. Whatever. He didn’t care if the woman knew his true feelings, now that he knew hers. 

He had full faith that Shuichi would deduce the notes and find himself on the bench. There hadn’t even been a backup plan; Kokichi was _that_ confident.

What he wasn’t prepared for was Kaede’s improv. Her lines were only supposed to ask the first three questions! How he was feeling, did he have fun, and did he figure it out. But she added a _fourth one_. ‘Are you disappointed?’

Shuichi’s _‘no’_ still rang in his ears. The follow up words ‘I’m… really happy’ were so completely genuine that Kokichi thought he might explode from how fast his heart was beating… both then and now. 

Its pace didn’t slow down as he thought about his beloved’s reaction to finally seeing the mastermind as he recalled the next part of the story. The way those grayish-golden eyes fluttered open at the announcement of their name made Kokichi _almost_ forget his own lines. The way Shuichi had immediately stood up and embraced him _still_ made his heart skip a beat. And the way he was so _desperately_ told yes, was a treasure that Kokichi would never give up. He couldn’t lie about these feelings even if he wanted to.

“You were a mess after that,” Kokichi hummed to no one in particular. Talking out loud had calmed his heart down, and he felt himself returning to his memories.

Once they separated each other from the hug, Shuichi could barely form sentences. He blubbered the entire way to his dorm about how much fun he had and how excited he was to be asked and didn’t stop until he was at the door. Then, the two said their goodbyes while smiling. The next time they saw each other was Kokichi gleefully acting like the previously empty spot at the lunch table had been his forever and after about a week, it became the truth. 

Having his thoughts come full circle, he grabbed a decorative pillow off to his side and cradled it. This was a common thought cycle and at this point he knew where his mind would go next, but he never stopped it. He allowed himself to be vulnerable in his own room, especially today. 

_What’s going to happen after the dance?_ Kokichi could feel the fuzz slip under his fingernails as he dug them in slightly. _Will he want to stop hanging out with me once this is over?_ He rationalized it as a fair thought. Shuichi had been clearly swept away by the romantic atmosphere of the school. Saying yes, not being upset by the scavenger hunt, enjoying the reveal… they could’ve just been the truth in the heat of the moment. 

But Kokichi was not the type of person to fester once these thoughts happened for fear that he would get absorbed in them. _We’ll just have to wait and see!_ He huffed and threw the pillow playfully to the side, then get out of bed. 

He skipped towards his closet and looked at the outfit waiting for him inside. It wasn’t nearly time to put it on yet, but he ran his fingertips over the plastic protecting it. 

No one was listening. No one was going to hear this. This was a truth for him and him alone. 

“I'm gonna make this the best night of your life, Shumai.”

-x-

Once the clock struck 5 p.m., Shuichi was startled by his phone ringing. He was both disappointed and relieved to see that it was Kaede requesting a video call and answered. 

“Hi Kaede!” He said, putting his phone down on the bathroom mirror so that he could see the video and put on the rest of his makeup at the same time. 

“You _have_ to show us! Right now!” She demanded; no explanation necessary. 

Shuichi, filled with uncharacteristic confidence and a desire to show off, giggled and stepped back from the mirror, “I’m not done with my face yet, but…” and he did a little twirl in his outfit. He was wearing some pressed black slacks with a minimalist black belt and black dress shoes that Kaede couldn’t see. On top he had a black collared button up with a gorgeous blue tie and vest combo over it that matched his hair perfectly. 

As he finished the spin he reached out of the camera’s view and grabbed something. Then, he dramatically draped it around his neck to reveal a black detective cape with matching blue accents acting in the place of a suit jacket. As he let it flutter into place, he saw the full outfit in the mirror for the first time and was speechless. 

“Shuichi…” Kaede said after gasping, “It’s _gorgeous_.” And she started tear up.

Away from the screen, he immediately heard Rantaro shout, “Kaede! If you ruin your makeup I _just_ finished so _HELP ME-_ “ and the phone was taken out of her hands.

Rantaro waved to Shuichi, “Hi, man! You look awesome! We were all watching! Now, let’s distract her so she doesn’t cry. Kaede, show your bestie how beautiful you look!” And flipped the camera on her. 

She blushed and immediately composed herself. She placed her hands at her side and lifted the fabric out to the sides and curtsied. It was a long, bright pink, spaghetti strap dress where the upper part was covered in rhinestones. The lower part had a layer of lace over it and fanned out starting around the top of her stomach and ending around her ankles. Her shoes were a pair of similarly colored two-inch heels. But the first thing Shuichi noticed was her hair that was tied up in a high bun with a big silver bow holding it in place, letting two small strands fall on each side of her ears. Her signature antenna had been styled in the shape of a heart.

It was Shuichi’s turn to gasp, “ _You’re_ the one who’s gorgeous! I can’t believe I didn’t notice when you called me!” and watched as she dropped the dress back down and smiled brightly.

After that, Kaede took her phone back and showed off everyone. Rantaro had a brown three-piece suit that complimented his hair. Keebo had a white tuxedo that he seemed to love very much. And Miu showed off both that she had curled her hair and that her dress was short, strapless and black with a red stripe around the middle. They all looked so happy getting ready together.

Once that was over, Shuichi attempted to go back to working on his eyes, but stopped when he heard a soft voice over the phone say, “Rantaro called your date, earlier.” And then she paused before adding an even softer, “He’s gonna love it, you know?” 

“D-Do you really think so!? You don’t think it’s too much?” He stammered under his breath.

She chuckled, “It is absolutely perfect. Alright, we’ve got to go, but you should call Kaito before you head out. I think Kokichi would be devastated if you got distracted admiring anyone’s outfit but his. At least at the beginning.” 

Shuichi defeatedly agreed and said his goodbyes, then hit some buttons to video chat Kaito. It was only one ring before he saw Maki come into focus. 

“Look at her, bro! Isn’t she the most stunning woman you’ve ever seen in your entire life!?” He shouted with vigor. 

She immediately looked right above the camera and flashed a deadly glare. She would’ve said her normal catchphrase, but the compliment had shaken her. 

During the slight pause, Shuichi took a good look at her outfit. Maki was wearing a knee length red dress that had a rhinestone belt and short sleeves out to the side. Her hair was in one long, big braid that went down to her ankles. When Kaito asked her to twirl, Shuichi could see a whole bunch of mini fake red daisies in her hair. 

“Maki, you look beautiful. I’m sorry he put you on the spot like that, but I’m happy I got to see your outfit! Payback time?” Shuichi joked.

She smiled and ran up to grab the phone before Kaito could protect it. Within milliseconds he was on the screen with his mouth hanging open in shock. 

“A-And here,” Maki stuttered, “I-Is… the most… handsome m-man I know!” 

Kaito’s face turned a deep red, and Shuichi swore he saw steam come out of his ears like a cartoon, until he coughed and started to pose. He was wearing some ankle length, velvet maroon slacks with a matching open suit jacket. He had a white button up collared shirt underneath with a small black bowtie. 

After a couple seconds, he said, “Damn straight I am!” While puffing out his chest and giving a thumbs up and then he put his hand behind his head and stretched.

“Listen, I’m super glad you called! I was actually about to do the same, which is why I answered so fast,” he grinned, “Kokichi phoned me earlier and said, and I quote, ‘Momota, if Shumai takes his eyes off of me and glances at you for even a _millisecond_ I can promise you that you will never find any toilet paper again for the rest of the school year!’ So… I didn’t want to take the chance…”

Shuichi immediately burst out into laughter, “I’d tell you that’s a lie, but I think he might be serious! Don’t worry, your toilet paper is safe with me.” Shuichi showed off his own outfit and the trio said their goodbyes after promising to get a photo together sometime during the night. He clicked his phone off and got back to work on his mascara. 

-x-

After he was finally satisfied with his hair and face, Shuichi got the courage to head out. It was around 6:45 p.m., which was perfect. 

The group knew that Kokichi had made the plans for _'The Moment™'_ , but what only Shuichi knew was that five minutes ago he received a text from his date saying, _‘Slight change of plans! Meet in the courtyard. Yes, that courtyard. Still 7 p.m., so no being late! It’s overflowing with people, so don’t get distracted~ Oh! And remember your goggles and pool floaties!”_

It was an absolutely ridiculous text, and one that Shuichi adored. There were many pieces to it that could’ve been fake, but he decided to trust all of it… minus the part about swimming gear. 

As he got closer to the courtyard, he discovered one of the other lies. The place had been nearly deserted, despite being lit up quite nicely. _It must be an overflow area if the ballroom gets too crowded_ , he concluded, and started to scan the area. 

Then, he saw the purple figure sitting with his eyes closed on that same bench Shuichi had been merely two weeks ago. 

For the second time in his life now, his feet were moving on their own. His brain was too intensely in a debate on if he should close his eyes or take this opportunity to stare. However, by the time the argument settled, he was standing in front of Kokichi, drinking in the entire scenery. 

He was wearing black dress pants with a purple belt and a pair of black business shoes with white accents. He had a tucked in, white, collared button up underneath a purple pinstripe vest with a matching bowtie. The signature checkered scarf was tucked neatly into a pocket to look like a handkerchief. His hair looked like it had been curled slightly to make it just a little bit wavier and that it would be soft to the touch. Finally, there was something clipped to Kokichi’s right wrist, but he couldn’t tell what it was. 

Though it had only been a minute, Shuichi felt like he had been staring for hours. He couldn’t bring himself to speak… only look. Time was frozen until Kokichi opened his eyes and flashed a large grin. 

“Caught you red handed, Detec-“ 

Shuichi heard the sentence start, but never heard it finish as he watched Kokichi’s smile fade and his eyes slowly move up and down. 

After two times over, he finally stood up, “C-Caught… y-you…” 

That’s when Shuichi saw that the thing clipped to Kokichi’s wrist was a cape that connected from his right shoulder, to the top of the vest at the nape and the bottom of the vest, tucked safely in the dress pants. The outside was a beautiful silky white that matched the shirt underneath but the inside…

The inside looked like a galaxy. It was a sparkling purple that complimented the vest it hugged. 

It looked gaudy. It looked royal. It looked… exactly like his eyes. 

“It looks _incredible._ ” Shuichi said under his breath, cutting off Kokichi’s stammering, “ _You_ look incredible.” 

There was a significant pause after that where they did nothing but look at one another. At this point, both of their blushes had faded – simply lost in mutual adoration. 

It was a special night, and Kokichi was willing to let the two of them have this honest moment. But, not for too long. _Get it together_ , he thought to himself as he lifted his right arm high to show off the unique addition. 

He took a quiet breath to reconfigure himself as he sang, “I know~. It was handed down to me by the Grand Duke of Luxembourg as a gift for giving leadership advice behind the scenes.” His signature grin was back, “In fact, he gave me two presents that day. In my infinite generosity, I will give the second to you now!” 

Kokichi magically whipped out a box and presented a pin of purple carnations and attached it right above the detective’s heart. 

While it was being put on, Shuichi stood perfectly still, despite his pulse rising at the closeness, “You… got me a corsage?” He said once it was in place. 

“Technically, the Grand Duke got it for you.” Kokichi answered as he pulled out a wristlet with matching flowers and slipped it over his own left shirt cuff, “and now we match!”

As Kokichi stepped back to admire his work he realized he hadn’t said anything about his date’s outfit yet, “Looks like he has excellent taste! But that pin would mean nothing if the outfit underneath it wasn’t already… perfect.” He hadn’t hesitated until the last word. He figured telling the truth would get him a better reaction than lying and having to spell out that he actually liked how his date looked. But, saying it out loud was more embarrassing than he thought it would be. 

Once it was out there, he could tell Shuichi was trying to determine the reality of the words, so Kokichi decided to double down, “I’m not lying. You look _perfect_.” He said as he looked away, unable to make eye contact any longer. 

This caused Shuichi to blush harder than he already was, and out of the corner of Kokichi’s eyes he could tell the bluenette was working up the courage to ask something. 

“Are you ready to go to the venue, Shumai~” Kokichi cooed, trying to help him get his question out. Once he turned his eyes back towards his date, he had this look that could only be described as a ‘now or never’ moment, and Kokichi was going to be patient despite the prodding he gave earlier. 

Then, Shuichi backed up one step and stretched out his right hand, “W-Will you…” he faltered for a moment then returned with the confidence of someone taking a leap of faith, “will you hold my hand as we walk there?”

Kokichi’s heart leaped out of his throat then came crashing back down. He didn’t even answer as his left hand greedily snatched the outstretched one in front of him, interlaced their fingers, and started pulling their owner as he made his way to the ballroom.

-x-

As they approached their destination, Shuichi could see Vice President Kirigiri and Miss Ludenberg come into view. They were sitting at a table outside the entrance checking everyone’s handbooks and stamping the back of student’s hands before they were let in. 

There was still a line, but since the duo had arrived later than most it was shorter than they had expected, and they filed in. 

Once they made it to the front, it was easy to tell who wanted to converse together out of the four people. Shuichi immediately smiled at his upperclassmen friend, admiring her long black mermaid-style dress, “Good evening, Kyoko! Thank you so much for hosting this. I hope you get a chance to go inside.” 

She gently pressed the stamp into him, “It was all Makoto’s doing, so don’t forget to thank him as well. And don’t worry about me. I asked the president for a single slow dance, preferably later, once most people were already in. Celeste has offered to keep me company in the meantime.” She glanced next to her at the woman dressed to the nines in a gothic ballgown wearing a pristine masquerade mask who was getting into a game of lies with Kokichi and attempting to get the mark on his hand. 

Kyoko continued, “Pardon me for being bold, but I think he’s a wonderful choice for you, Shuichi. You’re free to go in. I hope you have a good evening.” She never looked away from the scene in front of her. 

“I think so, too.” He said under his breath and nodded to his fellow detective. He then coerced Kokichi into leaving the game, since he was clearly losing.

Once inside, the pair met up with the rest of their friend group at a table they claimed earlier. Kaede and Miu were already up and dancing together towards the center of venue, but everyone else was sitting and talking. 

Kokichi offered to go get punch with anyone who wanted some, claiming he was thirsty. No one paid a second thought to the validity of this statement, and took him up on the offer, leaving Shuichi alone at the table. 

He didn’t mind at all. It was in his nature to hyper focus on details and whether that was Kokichi’s intention or not, he was grateful for the moment to observe his surroundings.

The decorations were minimal but effective. Since the theme itself was ‘prom’ it was mostly white tablecloths, some streamers and balloons, and the big dancefloor with two DJ’s who named themselves ‘DJ Sharktooth’ and ‘DJ Sickbeatz’ despite everyone just calling them Soda and Ibuki. 

The turntables were up on an elevated stage that had three chairs off to the side. The President and Treasurer, both in extremely nice yet simple tuxedoes, occupied two of the available three spaces. They looked like they were there to keep an eye on things and answer questions if need be. Shuichi watched as the shorter of the two absentmindedly glided his thumb along the back of other’s hand like it was something he did often. 

The table closest to the entrance sat the disciplinary committee chair and his date, one of the more notorious delinquents, who were both wearing a badge. It was clear that they would be the ground level eyes to assist the Student Council, but it looked like they were currently having fun chatting away with one another. 

He then noticed a table behind that one where three people crowded around some sort of handheld consol. He recognized the one holding the device as the girl from the gaming room when he found the Persona 5 clue. Next to her was the class valedictorian who was inched up and snuggling her shoulder to shoulder, looking attentively at what she was doing. The third person, with notably fluffy white hair, had chosen to stand behind them and had draped his arms around the sitting gentleman’s neck, holding him tightly while staring at the screen with a loving smile. 

Over by the punch counter he noticed Kirumi, in a long Victorian dress that suited her well, serving the drinks. Next to her was a buffet where Chef Hanamura and his date, a man who looked eerily similar to Treasurer Togami, were gleefully showing off some his meals to the people inspecting it. 

He flipped to the opposite side of the ballroom where there was a second door besides the entrance that lead into a veranda outside. It was small, but it was a perfect secluded romantic spot. It was currently occupied by Princess Nevermind wearing the most Cinderella-like dress he had ever seen. Accompanying her was a gentleman with two toned hair who seemed to have four rodents resting on his shoulders, which Shuichi swore he could see mini top hats and bowties on. _They let animals in here?_ He questioned, before ignoring it and moving his gaze elsewhere. 

Near that exit was the promised photo area that had already formed a line. He could see school’s prized yearbook photographer taking everyone’s pictures while a shorter blond girl kept the line organized. They’d have to head that way at some point, so it was good to know where it was.

The only thing left to see was the dancefloor and everyone on it. It was easy to find Kaede and Miu, since he had spotted them previously, and continued out from there. 

Among the crowd he noticed the school lifeguard wearing a red cocktail dress being twirled by a taller woman wearing a sleeveless purple suit top with a beautiful purple skirt flowing beneath it. Next to them was the school’s top gymnast dancing happily with her student coach, though it was strange as neither of them were dressed out of their ordinary clothes.

He noticed another pair dancing near that group because one of them looked like the spitting image of the lifeguard, only younger with shorter hair. He was wearing a snazzy black suit that was just a little too big for him but that didn’t seem to stop his energy. His date was a person wearing a beautiful pale peach colored ball gown that draped to the floor and their hair was tied up in a small high ponytail. It took Shuichi a moment to recognize Chihiro in the hyper feminine outfit, but it was common for them to switch between masculine and feminine styles. It looked like tonight was a special occasion, and Shuichi agreed the outfit complimented the programmer well. 

Off to the edge of the dancefloor he spotted a silver-haired woman with a bamboo sword slung behind her classy black dress. She was close enough that he could hear her ask, “Mukuro, would you like to dance?” while shyly holding hands with a woman who had chopped black hair. Mukuro, as he had just learned her name, smiled softly and walked her out to the crowd. 

Once he felt like he had taken in most of the scenery, the last thing that caught Shuichi’s attention was two girls that had just walked up to the Student Council. The Treasurer scowled at them and looked away in disgust. It wasn’t uncommon for the man to do, but this time seemed filled with extreme venom. After that, the President talked to the shorter woman with adoration; it was clear that they were related. Then, he watched as the pair turned away giggling with locked arms and sat down together at a table. 

Finally, Shuichi heard his friends return.

“So, what did you discover, my darling detective?” Kokichi said, handing his date some punch. 

Shuichi jokingly filled everyone in on the veranda, dancefloor and photobooth like he was the first one to discover them and everyone laughed and played along. 

Eventually, Kaede and Miu came back to the table for a moment to rest their feet while everyone had their drinks but immediately went back out once Rantaro and Keebo said they would join this time. 

Kaito knew Maki wasn’t the type to groove to club music, but they did have an agreement that she would give him slow dances and _one_ fun dance by the end of the night. They decided to just talk and enjoy one another’s company while watching the table. 

Upon hearing this arrangement, Kokichi jumped out of his seat and grabbed Shuichi’s hand, dragging him to the dance floor. It’s not that he didn’t want to dance, he just was scared to, and his date could tell.

“All you have to do is move your feet to the music, but don’t step on anyone.” Explained Kokichi as he released the man’s hand. He immediately started bobbing and stepping to the upbeat rhythm, and Shuichi mimicked him. 

He was still clearly embarrassed, but with Kokichi’s confidence the bluenette found himself getting the hang of it after a while, and the two danced together for many songs. It was some of the most fun Shuichi ever had, and his giant smile radiated warmth across the whole venue. 

It was hard to talk to one another on the dancefloor but even so, for about an hour, the world seemed to disappear around them. When they came back to reality, they agreed to a much-needed break and sat down at their table. 

“That was… awesome!” Shuichi said between breaths, “I can’t wait to do that again… once I can feel my legs!”

Kokichi just laughed, “Oh, didn’t you know? You’re never going to be able to feel them again!” And received a worried but unconvinced glance his way until he added, “Yes, that’s a lie, but you _definitely_ will be sore tomorrow. I recommend a warm shower and some rest!” 

Shuichi nodded in understanding and then, out of nowhere, rested the side of his head on Kokichi’s shoulder. It made the smaller man jump slightly, but he reciprocated the movement, and gently nuzzled his cheek into the blue hair. 

“I don’t think I ever thanked you,” Shuichi said, “I don’t think… I could ever thank you enough.”

Kokichi, who was rattled by the physical closeness, just stammered, “w-what are you talking about?”

“For asking me to prom. For sending me on a wild scavenger hunt. For hanging out with me these past two weeks. Thank you… for all of it.” 

“Good, Shumai praise me more! I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.” He laughed as Shuichi lifted his head. 

The detective looked behind him to check on Kaito and Maki, he noticed they were off in their own conversation, then turned back to face the dance floor, “Ok. I-I think your outfit tonight is spectacular. I think the way you asked me to this event was so creative. I think _'The Moment™'_ was worth the wait and you’re very talented for planning it out so far in advance. I think… um…” _you’re attractive_.

Even though he had asked for it, Kokichi was _not_ ready to be bombarded with compliments and his face turned red as he looked away, desperately trying to make sure his date couldn’t see him. He knew he had failed when he saw a small antenna appear out of the corner of his vision with a quizzical Shuichi checking up on him. 

“D-Did I say something wrong!?”

“No. You surprised me.” Kokichi cursed himself for getting caught off guard and mentally shook it off, “I didn’t know you were so _obedient_. I wonder what else I could ask you to do?” 

It was almost as if he had planned it. They heard ‘DJ Sickbeatz’ say over the loudspeaker, “YAHOOOO! This next one is gonna be a slow one! Grab your partner and bring ‘em on down!” And the song changed from an upbeat dance piece to a melodic piano one. 

Shuichi felt a shiver up his spine. He saw President Naegi stand up and extend a hand to the gentleman next to him who seemed to sigh _‘only for you’_ , which confirmed this was not a dream. This was really happening. 

He felt the couple sitting behind him stand up and head into the crowd hand in hand, but not before Kaito looked back and flashed a thumbs up. Kokichi exhaled, completely flustered despite _just_ composing himself, and quickly brought himself to his feet. 

“Well how’s about that… we’ll get to test my question right now!” He said mischievously as he turned around and extended his hand.

“Would you slow dance with me?”

This was real. This wasn’t some thought that Shuichi had created. He enthusiastically reached for the outstretched hand and felt it pull himself up and lead him to the dancefloor. It was warm to the touch and a more incredible sight than he could’ve even imagined.

Once they had found a good spot, Shuichi gulped as he felt two arms rest at his waist.

“Now, put your hands on my shoulders,” Kokichi said gently, knowing full well that his date had never done this before.

Shuichi happily obliged then felt himself be rocked back and forth to the beat until he eventually learned the rhythm and didn’t need to be led anymore. 

He couldn’t, no, _wouldn’t_ look at Kokichi with how close their bodies were, and that was when he spotted the valedictorian next to him. The white-haired man’s head was gently nuzzled into his partner’s shoulder with his eyes closed, and both were holding tight onto the clothes of the back they were hugging. The couple’s other arms held up with interlaced fingers.

In a slight moment of panic that he had been lied to, Shuichi’s left hand slipped off the shoulder it was laying on and trailed up the arm it was attached to. He grabbed the hand that was gently gripping his hip and locked fingers with it, causing Kokichi to flinch at first but he quickly returned the gesture and lightly squeezed the detective’s hand as he made their fingers more comfortable. 

They finally locked eyes and after a long moment of getting absorbed in bright purple ones staring at him, Shuichi started to lean forward. 

Their lips had only a few inches of space left between them as the song ended and everyone started to go back to their tables. 

It took them both a moment to process was about to happen, and Kokichi, more red than he had been all night, immediately released his grip and took a step back. 

“A-Ah! I’m s-sorry!” Shuichi said, bringing his now incredibly lonely hand up to his own lips, “I d-don’t…”

He took a deep breath, trying to regain any sense of composure he could, and started over, “I don’t know what came over me. C-Can we go outside and talk about this?” It came out more like a plea than a question. 

Kokichi’s options were to run, feign ignorance, dramatically return the kiss, or comply, and while many of them sounded _incredibly_ fun, he knew the later would be right choice. Still madly blushing, he reached out and latched onto Shuichi’s hovering wrist and pulled him outside to the unoccupied veranda, and let the door shut behind them.

“Sooo, what did you wanna talk about?” What? There was no rule saying he _couldn’t_ pick two things off the list. 

_Did he really…_ “You know, Kokichi! I almost kissed you!” No point in denying it. Shuichi was always logical, even when he didn’t want to be. 

Those eyes. Those beautiful purple eyes that looked at him softly, “Whaaat!? You were trying to go for a home run? After already passing third base?” He held up his hand and pointed to it in a joking innocence. 

There was no doubt in Shuichi’s mind that the man was acting.

Instead of answering Kokichi’s question he asked his own, “Why did you ask me to prom?” He said it so calmly as he already knew the answer. Maybe two weeks ago he wouldn’t have, but after only thirteen days he was sure. Super sure. He didn’t need to be a detective to figure it out. 

“Well, duh, because you _begged_ to be asked! And your good pal Kokichi, withalittlehelpfromthepianogirlwhatever, came through for you!” He beamed, throwing his hands behind his head and flashing a giant grin. 

Shuichi just shook his head, “Nope. You wanted to ask me, even before that.”

“There’s no way you can prove that.” Kokichi taunted in response. 

Oh, but he absolutely could, and it made his heart start racing with excitement. It wasn’t every day you got to corner someone so tactically brilliant. This was his moment. He was going to own it.

“Three weeks ago, there was a day you were in such a bad mood that you didn’t want to talk to anybody,” Shuichi declared, “then Kaede, as happy as you were angry, eagerly informed me she was asking both Rantaro and Miu to prom.”

The shorter man crossed his arms and squinted his eyes, looking irritated and bored, which wasn’t true at all. He knew he had been caught and now he just wanted to watch the show. “So?”

“ _So_ , there was a noticeable shift in your demeanor once she annouced her desired dates and I couldn’t figure out why.” Shuichi then pointed a finger right at the shorter man’s face, posing as if to say, _‘Take that!’_ , “I didn’t realize it then, but I’m positive now. You thought she was going to ask me.” And in his grand finale, he gently touched that finger to Kokichi’s nose, “But that’s what you wanted to do, even before my wish was known!”

After that grand display, Kokichi simply flashed a warm smile, swerved his head out of the way of the obstacle touching him, and took one step forward, “And what are you going to do with that information, Detective?” He reached up to gently caress the hand his date had yet to put down and brought it to his own cheek. The pointed fingers quickly readjusted and were now tenderly cupping his face, his own fingers gently perched on top of them. 

Still coasting on his deduction-induced confidence high, Shuichi took his own step forward and placed his free hand on Kokichi’s face, mirroring the one that was already there. 

“With that information…” He repeated, tilted Kokichi’s chin up, took a breath… 

…and connected their lips together. 

Then he felt two hands slide over top his vest and clutch it, pulling him in deeper. He felt Kokichi relax, and the kiss became warm, inviting him, and he happily obliged. 

As Shuichi pulled away and came back to reality, he released his grip to cover his mouth in shock and took a step back. 

He was about to string the longest list of apologies he could think of until a surprised voice interrupted him, “D-Do you kiss all of the people you interrogate or just the handsome ones?” Kokichi’s entire body was on fire and definitely not ready to start joking yet, but he’d be damned if he let Shuichi apologize for making his night. 

If the, currently red, bluenette had any of that earlier conviction left, he’d probably play along, but all he could mumble between his insanely loud heartbeat was, “n-no… just… y-you.” 

That set something off in Kokichi. He couldn’t explain it, he didn’t want to explain it. This feeling was good, powerful, _honest_. To hell if Tomorrow Shuichi called this off – Tonight Shuichi was here and kissing him and completely his for the taking. 

“Well, my darling detective, I can’t say it’s the most common method I’ve ever heard of, but,” his face became serious, his voice low, “you got your man. What’s next?”

One of Shuichi’s hands fluttered up to the corsage pinned to his chest and gently brushed one of the flowers, “’You got your man.’ Meaning, that you’re already mine?” 

Pause. Two heartbeats beating faster than they ever had.

“Yes. I have been for a long time. Much longer than prom’s announcement.”

_H u h ?_

_Just… like… that? He just… said it!?_

“You already deduced that. I was always honest about my feelings.” The somber tone stared to fade as he chuckled, “You must be the most oblivious sleuth I know.”

Then, Kokichi took one step forward, the space between them shrinking.

“But, Shumai… _you_... kissed _me_.”

He had. Both times. Even if the first one didn’t connect it was still Shuichi who leaned forward. 

It clicked. It clicked _painfully_ , “’You got your man.’ Meaning, I… got what… _I_ wanted…” 

As an answer, Kokichi reached out both hands and wove his fingers between Shuichi’s, looking directly into his eyes, and repeated, “You got your man. What’s next?” 

They breathed. Everything around them started to disappear, focusing only on the feeling of fingers brushing up against one another and on the sight of each other’s eyes.

He was completely swept away. From the moment he picked up a scavenger hunt clue in the library, Shuichi had fallen in love. 

“Kokichi Ouma,” He started, happily, “will you do me the honor of going out with me?”

Moving his hands to Shuichi’s face, he pulled the man down towards him and gave him a tender kiss then talked in a voice so quiet that only they could hear. 

It was mocking. It was playful. It was beautiful.

“Yes, Shuichi. Yes. Yes. One thousand times, yes.” 

-x-  
EPILOGUE  
-x-

No one really noticed them leave or reenter. No one knew what had just happened outside minus the fact that their insanely red faces gave them away. But, if their friends caught on, they decided not to pursue their curiosity. 

After that, the group went to go get photos. They took a bunch: ones with all eight of them, boys pic, girls pic, a whole bunch couples pics, and even a cute bestie pic of Kaede and Shuichi.

Things felt… normal. _Different_ … romantic… but normal. Honestly, other than how much more they were physically touching, everyone would’ve sworn nothing had just happened between them. 

When everyone went to go try some of Chef Hanamura’s cooking and brought it back, it felt exactly like the atmosphere of the lunch table. They talked, goofed around, insulted one another affectionately. Kokichi told everyone that Shuichi had kissed him, and absolutely no one believed him. It was the best poker face the detective had ever made. 

Suddenly, a song about starships began to play, and Kaito jumped out of his seat, grabbing Maki’s hand excitedly, “This is _my song!_ C’mon, Makiroll, you promised me one! And this is a song Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars, _must_ dance to!” 

She reluctantly agreed, but not without flashing a concerned glance, and everyone followed them out to the dancefloor. 

When Kaito twirled her around during the final bass drop, Maki looked like she was having the time of her life. 

The group stayed out there, partying the night away. The DJs were incredible, playing bop after banger after jam. Then, they heard one of them over the loudspeaker.

“Alriiiight everyone! It’s ‘DJ Sharktooth’ here to slow it _doooown_. This is gonna be the last one so make it count! There’s only thirty more minutes until we close! Thanks so much for comin’ tonight! Let’s give it up for our Student Council for putting on this wonderful college prom, yeah!?” 

The crowd erupted in applause and Shuichi looked at the stage to see Vice President Kirigiri in her previously vacant seat. She then stood up, elegant as ever, and reached out a hand to the beaming President, who eagerly took it. 

Right after that, the track started playing, and couples started to gently sway together. 

Kokichi dramatically bowed in front of his date then got into position, the capeless arm at the man’s hip, the caped one interlacing fingers. The two looked at each other with complete and total adoration, and after the song hit its climactic key change, Shuichi leaned forward and completed the kiss he attempted to do hours ago, and Kokichi happily accepted.

After they pulled apart, the smaller man looked with half lidded eyes and a foolish grin up at the man he adored. There was no worry in his voice, no anxiety, when he hummed, “Will you still want to date me tomorrow, Shumai?”

Shuichi smiled back as the song ended, knowing he was about to say the complete and total truth.

“And every day after that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot begin to thank you enough for giving me your time in reading this story.
> 
> This Saiouma week has truly changed my life. I've never been so creative and seen so much talent in such a fast amount of time. I hope that we get to meet again next year! (Though I'll definitely write and post more in between that!)
> 
> Happy Belated Birthday, Shuichi Saihara. It's an honor to kin you, sir. 
> 
> I originally thought this was going to be a short little one off about a dance, but it became something I'm truly proud of.
> 
> I put eight full days of free time into this. After the first slow dance I changed the ending to this no less than ten times desperately wanting to mold it into the story it became.
> 
> I eagerly welcome your comments, criticisms, and compliments. 
> 
> FUN FACTS:
> 
> \- There were many different leaders I could've chosen for the corsage moment as opposed to the Grand Duke. I researched some and here were my runners up: The Co-Princes of the Principality of Andorra, The Queen of Canada, and the Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein. (Source: 'List of Current Monarchies' on Wikipedia)
> 
> \- I was going to go with purple carnations no matter what, but I got incredibly lucky! They represent capriciousness. Capricious is an adjective that means 'subject to, led by, or indicative of a sudden, odd notion or unpredictable change; erratic' which I thought was very fitting for Kokichi. (In France specifically, it is the traditional funeral flower, given in condolences) (Source: 'Dianthus Caryophyllus' on Wikipedia)
> 
> \- Yes. The 'starships' song is A B S O L U T E L Y _Starships_ by Nicki Minaj.
> 
> \- And finally, if you would like to see the main 8's prom outfit inspiration, please check out this pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/psychiccupid/danganronpa-prom/
> 
> I hope you all have incredible days!


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